friendship never dies
by royalties
Summary: their memories will live on in our hearts forever.' massie struggles to deal with the death of her friends/ 'people may die, but friendship never dies. disclaimed. for the june one-shot contest - 3C. AU, but could be canon. ***won beta award in june one-shot contest


**a/n: just something i came up with while listening to 'over you.' was originally going to use another one-shot for the contest, but i couldn't just let this idea go. 3C, because there's no pairing and 'girl, I don't do prompts.' i also had yet _another _idea, but that one was way too depressing, and had nothing to do with the clique (it could go on any fandom, really). r&r! **

**p.s. the title for this has gone through many changes, but i finally settled on 'friendship never dies.' (credit goes to _level x, _who came up with the title)**

**about updating my other stories: sorry, i will get to that soon. once i get out of my punishment. **

**xx,  
Rachel**

* * *

-friendship never dies-  
_But you went away  
How dare you?  
I miss you  
They say I'll be okay  
But I'm not going to ever get over you  
-"Over You," Miranda Lambert_

* * *

Death is a wicked thing we'll all have to face sooner or later. But dying at 13 years of age? Too soon. Massie Block thought that was impossible. They barely got to do anything in life. Experience the ups and the downs. _'This can't be happening_.'

But sadly, it is. Nothing's impossible when you live in Westchester, New York.

: :

**(no one willed this to happen)**

: :

"There was a car crash."

Massie Block stops eating mid-bite, and stares at her father suspiciously. He would never tell her about a car crash, unless it was extremely significant, or involved someone they knew. "Who?" she asks.

"The driver was someone by the name of 'Dean.'"

She almost chokes on her orange juice. Dean was Alicia's driver. So that must mean...

"Massie," her dad says. "Your best friends are dead."

: :

**(now who will she talk to at school?)**

: :

It's all over the news. Dean was driving in New York City, another car came out of nowhere, and crashed right into them. The four girls in the car (Alicia, Dylan, Kristen, and Claire) all died. She's heard it so many times, she knows it by heart now.

She's all alone now. She resorts to talking to Layne Abeley, that's just how desperate she is. They help each other get through it (Layne lost Claire, of course). They don't laugh and play in the snow, like all the other kids. It was Valentine's Day. Love was in the air. A happy day like this shouldn't be so scary.

She still remembers every single vacation she took with the PC. Just last Christmas, they all went on a cruise to the Bahamas. It was the best Christmas ever. She still remembers the presents under the Christmas tree. The smiling faces.

All of that's gone now.

: :

**(she thought smiles lasted for a lifetime)**

: :

Funerals. She organizes all four (five, if you include Dean, but he's not that important) of them. She wears her favorite black lacy dress, has her note cards all ready, but it doesn't feel right, without her friends by her side. Of course, they can't be there (they're lying in their coffins).

She clears her throat, and begins the ceremony. "We have gathered here today in memory of four very special girls: Alicia Rivera, Dylan Marvil, Kristen Gregory, and Claire Lyons. Alicia tried to overthrow me sometimes, but she always ended up staying true to her alpha. I take back everything I said about her; she's the prettiest girl I knew. "

"Dylan was a jokester. She needs to realize that she's not fat, and be more confident. We loved her; she always brought smiles to our faces."

"Kristen was the smart one. We didn't abandon her because she was poor; we embraced the fact that she was different. She helped us with homework and we helped her with fashion in return."

"Claire was the awkward one from Orlando. She struck us as an LBR at first, but we learned to love her; she grew on us. She's the nicest, sweetest, kindest girl I knew; the true definition of inner beauty."

"They were my best friends in the whole wide world. They still are, because their memories will live on in our hearts forever."

: :

**(such truer words were never spoken)**

: :

She visits the graveyard again. It's been six months, and the end of summer is approaching. She doesn't call it a day until she visits the graveyard. Things are getting better now, but she knows that it will never be the same as before.

It really sinks in, when she sees their names in stone. Their lives were short, but they were precious. She will always treasure the time she spent with them.

She knows the truth now. She knows why they were going into the city without her - they were searching for a present for Massie (why they wanted to do that, she's still not sure). So technically, it's her fault (indirectly).

"I'm sorry," she whispers, kneeling down in front of their graves. "For everything." She tilts her head back, and the tears start to come.

"Heart you guys."

: :

**(it's no one's fault, really)**

: :

School's started again, and she feels lonely without the Pretty Committee by her side, backing her up. She tries to move on. But she can't. She knows she needs to get back on the social scene, but it's not going to happen. She just isn't 'Massie Block' without Alicia Rivera, Dylan Marvil, Kristen Gregory, and Claire Lyons.

"Hey Mass!" "Welcome back!" "How was your summer?"

She ignores the questions, just offering the girls a weak smile. Things have changed around her. She immediately went from alpha to loner (_not _LBR - she doesn't even want to consider that).

But she doesn't care. Her best friends are dead, and no one can replace them. They were the best friends she could find. Is life even worth living anymore?

: :

**(there's always a reason to live)**

: :

She started dancing. She discovered her natural talent for dance, and replaced Alicia in her dance squad. Dance is now her passion. It's the only reason she lives. To dance. It's sad, that Massie Block has morphed into a dancer. She dances every single day, in the morning when she wakes up, at school, after school, and she swears she can feel her feet dancing when she sleeps.

She's just that into it.

But no matter how much effort she puts into dancing, she can't erase the pain of her losses. Nothing can.

One day, she twists her ankle while doing a pirouette.

She should've known it wouldn't last. Her ankle broke, just like her friendship with the PC.

: :

**(why is her life so tragically pathetic?)**

: :

Valentine's Day rolls around again, and things are still the same. She lays on her bed at home dressed in sweats (no special Valentine's Day date for her). It's like she isn't even alive. She doesn't even want to be alive. She doesn't have a goal (because dance obviously failed) in life. She's - what's the word? - broken. Truly broken.

Finally, she gets up, deciding that it's time to do some cleaning (for once). Her room is a mess with a capital M. She doesn't even wear designer clothes anymore. Why look good if you don't feel good?

She finds the old photographs. The Halloween party in 7th grade. Modeling for Teen Vogue. Going to Lake Placid. On the set of _Dial L For Loser _in Hollywood. Skye's end-of-year costume party. The trailers-turned-Tiffany's-boxes. Their trampire costumes in 8th. Ho Ho Homeless benefit. And - the one that made her burst into tears - Merri-Lee Marvil's New Year's Yves party (where she decided to stay with the PC instead of going to London).

Maybe she would've been better off in London. If she had known that the car crash was going to happen, she wouldn't have told her dad that they should stay.

The pictures are the only thing left of her friends. And even those are slowing fading, yellowing, growing old.

: :

**(even so, a picture is worth a thousand words)**

: :

She's seventeen now, and keeps coming back to the pictures. She still hasn't moved on. She visits the graves one last time. She sets the pictures down, along with a bouquet of flowers.

It's about time she let go of the past. As the last picture is placed, she feels a sense of relief wash over her. She's finally free. Nothing can trigger those tears anymore.

But they'll always live on inside her heart. Because true friends always stick with us. True friends never go away.

_Best friends forever, _right? No matter what happens.

People may die, but friendship never dies.

She wipes away the last tear. No more crying. No more sadness. "I'll always remember you."


End file.
